Download PDF
Int J Sports Med 2020; 41(12): 846-857
DOI: 10.1055/a-1179-8326
Training & Testing

The Effects of Performing Mental Exertion during Cycling Exercise on Fatigue Indices

Hamidreza Barzegarpoor
1   Sport Sciences and Health, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran (the Islamic Republic of)
2   School of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Canada
,
Hamid Amoozi
1   Sport Sciences and Health, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran (the Islamic Republic of)
,
Hamid Rajabi
3   Sport sciences, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran (the Islamic Republic of)
,
Duane Button
2   School of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Canada
,
Rana Fayazmilani
1   Sport Sciences and Health, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran (the Islamic Republic of)
4   Department of Biological Sciences in Sport, Faculty of Sports Sciences and Health, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
› Author Affiliations
› Further Information
Also available at
    Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of performing prolonged mental exertion during submaximal cycling exercise on exercise tolerance and fatigue. Participants performed 5 experimental sessions. Session 1: determination of cycling peak power output. Sessions 2 and 3: cycling to exhaustion at 65% peak power output with mental exertion or watching a movie. Sessions 4 and 5: cycling for 45 min at 65% peak power output with mental exertion or while watching a movie. During sessions 2–5, rate of perceived exertion and heart rate were recorded while cycling and cortisol and prolactin concentrations, psychomotor vigilance task performance, and maximal voluntary contraction were measured pre-and post-sessions. During sessions 2 and 3, time to exhaustion was reduced (p<0.01) and rate of perceived exertion was increased (p<0.01) in session 2 compared to 3. Cortisol, prolactin and heart rate increased and psychomotor vigilance task and maximal voluntary contraction decreased from pre-to post-sessions with no difference between sessions. Cortisol, prolactin and rate of perceived exertion were higher (p<0.03) in session 4 than 5. Heart rate increased and maximal voluntary contraction decreased from pre-to post-sessions with no difference between sessions. Prolonged mental exertion during cycling exercise reduces exercise tolerance, which appears to be mediated psychologically rather than physiologically.

Key words

mental fatigue - exercise tolerance - rating of perceived exertion - stress hormones


Publication History

Received: 18 January 2020

Accepted: 07 May 2020

Article published online:
29 June 2020

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

  • References

  • 1 Enoka RM, Duchateau J. Translating fatigue to human performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2016; 48: 2228-2238
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 2 Tanaka M, Ishii A, Watanabe Y. Neural correlates of central inhibition during physical fatigue. PloS one 2013; 8: e70949
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 3 Tanaka M, Watanabe Y. Supraspinal regulation of physical fatigue. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2012; 36: 727-734
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 4 Ishii A, Tanaka M, Watanabe Y. Neural mechanisms of mental fatigue. Rev Neuroscience 2014; 25: 469-479
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 5 Mehta RK, Parasuraman R. Effects of mental fatigue on the development of physical fatigue: a neuroergonomic approach. Hum Factors 2014; 56: 645-656
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 6 Ackerman PL. Decade of Behavior/Science Conference. Cognitive Fatigue: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Current Research and Future Applications. : American Psychological Association; 2011
    CrossrefSearch in Google Scholar
  • 7 Lorist MM, Boksem MA, Ridderinkhof KR. Impaired cognitive control and reduced cingulate activity during mental fatigue. Brain Res Cogn Brain Res 2005; 24: 199-205
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 8 Marcora SM, Staiano W, Manning V. Mental fatigue impairs physical performance in humans. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2009; 106: 857-864
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 9 Smith MR, Coutts AJ, Merlini M. et al. Mental fatigue impairs soccer-specific physical and technical performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2016; 48: 267-276
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 10 Pageaux B, Lepers R, Dietz KC. et al. Response inhibition impairs subsequent self-paced endurance performance. Eur J Appl Physiol 2014; 114: 1095-1105
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 11 Pageaux B, Marcora S, Lepers R. Prolonged mental exertion does not alter neuromuscular function of the knee extensors. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2013; 45: 2254-2264
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 12 Chatain C, Radel R, Vercruyssen F. et al. Influence of cognitive load on the dynamics of neurophysiological adjustments during fatiguing exercise. Psychophysiology 2019; 56: e13343
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 13 Holgado D, Zabala M, Sanabria D. No evidence of the effect of cognitive load on self-paced cycling performance. PloS one 2019; 14: e0217825
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 14 Pageaux B, Lepers R. The effects of mental fatigue on sport-related performance. Prog Brain Res 2018; 240: 291-315
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 15 Sharma A, Oyebode F, Kendall MJ. et al. Recovery from chronic fatigue syndrome associated with changes in neuroendocrine function. J R Soc Med 2001; 94: 26-27
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 16 Van Cutsem J, De Pauw K, Buyse L. et al. Effects of mental fatigue on endurance performance in the heat. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2017; 49: 1677-1687
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 17 Wright HE, Selkirk GA, Rhind SG. et al. Peripheral markers of central fatigue in trained and untrained during uncompensable heat stress. Eur J Appl Physiol 2012; 112: 1047-1057
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 18 Carrasco Páez L, Luque G, Gutiérrez C. et al. Prolactin responses to stress induced by a competitive swimming effort. Biol Sport 2007; 24: 311-323
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 19 Klaassen EB, de Groot RH, Evers EA. et al. Cortisol and induced cognitive fatigue: effects on memory activation in healthy males. Biol Psychol 2013; 94: 167-174
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 20 Harriss DJ, MacSween A, Atkinson G. Ethical standards in sport and exercise science research: 2020 update. Int J Sports Med 2019; 40: 813-817
    Thieme ConnectPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 21 Borg GA. Psychophysical bases of perceived exertion. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1982; 14: 377-381
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 22 Smith M, Fransen J, Coutts A. The effects of three cognitively demanding tasks on psychological and performance indicators of cognitive fatigue. In, The 19th annual congress of the European College of Sports Science 2014; 676
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 23 MacLeod CM, MacDonald PA. Interdimensional interference in the Stroop effect: Uncovering the cognitive and neural anatomy of attention. Trends Cogn Sci 2000; 4: 383-391
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 24 Cohen J. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences Hillside. In: New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; 1988
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 25 Amann M, Secher NH. Point: Afferent feedback from fatigued locomotor muscles is an important determinant of endurance exercise performance. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2010; 108: 452-454
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 26 Noakes T. Physiological models to understand exercise fatigue and the adaptations that predict or enhance athletic performance. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2000; 10: 123-145
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 27 Amann M. Pulmonary system limitations to endurance exercise performance in humans. Exp Physiol 2012; 97: 311-318
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 28 Marcora SM. Do we really need a central governor to explain brain regulation of exercise performance?. Eur J Appl Physiol 2008; 104: 929-931
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 29 Pageaux B. The psychobiological model of endurance performance: an effort-based decision-making theory to explain self-paced endurance performance. Sports Med 2014; 44: 1319-1320
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 30 Wright RA. Brehm’s theory of motivation as a model of effort and cardiovascular response. In: Gollwitzer PM and Bargh JA, eds. The psychology of action: Linking cognition and motivation to behavior. Guilford Press; 1996: 424-453
    CrossrefSearch in Google Scholar
  • 31 Marcora SM, Bosio A, de Morree HM. Locomotor muscle fatigue increases cardiorespiratory responses and reduces performance during intense cycling exercise independently from metabolic stress. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2008; 294: R874-R883
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 32 Hilty L, Jäncke L, Luechinger R. et al. Limitation of physical performance in a muscle fatiguing handgrip exercise is mediated by thalamo-insular activity. Hum Brain Mapp 2011; 32: 2151-2160
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 33 Jouanin JC, Pérès M, Ducorps A. et al. A dynamic network involving M1-S1, SII-insular, medial insular, and cingulate cortices controls muscular activity during an isometric contraction reaction time task. Hum Brain Mapp 2009; 30: 675-688
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 34 Cook DB, O’Connor PJ, Lange G. et al. Functional neuroimaging correlates of mental fatigue induced by cognition among chronic fatigue syndrome patients and controls. Neuroimage 2007; 36: 108-122
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 35 Ishii A, Tanaka M, Yamano E. et al. The neural substrates of physical fatigue sensation to evaluate ourselves: a magnetoencephalography study. Neuroscience 2014; 261: 60-67
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 36 Hampson DB, Gibson ASC, Lambert MI. et al. The influence of sensory cues on the perception of exertion during exercise and central regulation of exercise performance. Sports Med 2001; 31: 935-952
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 37 De Morree HM, Klein C, Marcora SM. Perception of effort reflects central motor command during movement execution. Psychophysiology 2012; 49: 1242-1253
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 38 Myers J, Atwood JE, Sullivan M. et al. Perceived exertion and gas exchange after calcium and beta-blockade in atrial fibrillation. J Appl Physiol (1985) 1987; 63: 97-104
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 39 Pageaux B, Marcora SM, Rozand V. et al. Mental fatigue induced by prolonged self-regulation does not exacerbate central fatigue during subsequent whole-body endurance exercise. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 9: 67
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 40 De Morree HM, Klein C, Marcora SM. Cortical substrates of the effects of caffeine and time-on-task on perception of effort. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2014; 117: 1514-1523
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 41 Swick D, Jovanovic J. Anterior cingulate cortex and the Stroop task: neuropsychological evidence for topographic specificity. Neuropsychologia 2002; 40: 1240-1253
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 42 Lovatt D, Xu Q, Liu W. et al. Neuronal adenosine release, and not astrocytic ATP release, mediates feedback inhibition of excitatory activity. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2012; 109: 6265-6270
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 43 Gailliot MT. Unlocking the energy dynamics of executive functioning: Linking executive functioning to brain glycogen. Perspect Psychol Sci 2008; 3: 245-263
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 44 Kennedy DO, Scholey AB. A glucose-caffeine ‘energy drink’ameliorates subjective and performance deficits during prolonged cognitive demand. Appetite 2004; 42: 331-333
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 45 Lorist MM, Tops M. Caffeine, fatigue, and cognition. Brain Cogn 2003; 53: 82-94
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 46 Durcan MJ, Morgan PF. Evidence for adenosine A2 receptor involvement in the hypomobility effects of adenosine analogues in mice. Eur J Pharmacol 1989; 168: 285-290
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 47 Davis JM, Zhao Z, Stock HS. et al. Central nervous system effects of caffeine and adenosine on fatigue. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2003; 284: R399-R404
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 48 Martin K, Staiano W, Menaspà P. et al. Superior inhibitory control and resistance to mental fatigue in professional road cyclists. PloS one 2016; 11: e0159907
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 49 Parasuraman R, Warm JS, See JE. Brain systems of vigilance. In: Parasuraman R, (ed). The Attentive Brain. The MIT Press; 1998: 221-256
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 50 Weng TB, Pierce GL, Darling WG. et al. Differential effects of acute exercise on distinct aspects of executive function. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2015; 47: 1460-1469
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 51 Tomporowski PD, Ellis NR. Effects of exercise on cognitive processes: A review. Psychol Bull 1986; 99: 338-346
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 52 Inzlicht M, Schmeichel BJ, Macrae CN. Why self-control seems (but may not be) limited. Trends Cogn Sci 2014; 18: 127-133
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 53 Brisswalter J, Collardeau M, René A. Effects of acute physical exercise characteristics on cognitive performance. Sports Med 2002; 32: 555-566
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 54 Daly W, Seegers C, Rubin D. et al. Relationship between stress hormones and testosterone with prolonged endurance exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 2005; 93: 375-380
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 55 Kirschbaum C, Hellhammer DH. Salivary cortisol in psychoneuroendocrine research: recent developments and applications. Psychoneuroendocrinology 1994; 19: 313-333
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 56 Bridge MW, Weller AS, Rayson M. et al. Responses to exercise in the heat related to measures of hypothalamic serotonergic and dopaminergic function. Eur J Appl Physiol 2003; 89: 451-459
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 57 Low D, Purvis A, Reilly T. et al. The prolactin responses to active and passive heating in man. Exp Physiol 2005; 90: 909-917
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 58 De Vente W, Olff M, Van Amsterdam J. et al. Physiological differences between burnout patients and healthy controls: blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol responses. Occup Environ Med 2003; 60: i54-i61
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 59 Van Cutsem J, Marcora S, De Pauw K. et al. The effects of mental fatigue on physical performance: a systematic review. Sports Med 2017; 47: 1569-1588
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 60 Williamson J, Fadel P, Mitchell J. New insights into central cardiovascular control during exercise in humans: a central command update. Exp Physiol 2006; 91: 51-58
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar